Treatment Ported Sub and Method of Use

ABSTRACT

A ported sub integrates a seat for an object to land on to allow pressure buildup. A sleeve shifts with the ball and the seat to open ports that are screened. The openings feature hardened inserts to control wear from high velocity fluid. The interval is treated through such openings with treatment fluid that is relatively free of solids. The formation is produced through the same screened inserts that were used for treating. The sleeve can be releasably retained in the ports open position and can optionally be closed with well intervention such as with a shifting tool. The object can pass through the seat after sleeve shifting by disintegration or by using a segmented seat that opens enough to allow the object to pass. An array can be spaced throughout the zone for treating or fracturing and the sleeves shifted bottom up using different or same sized balls.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The field of the invention is ported subs and more particularly subs that can be actuated to open ports without intervention and releasably retain a cover sleeve with the ports open while further allowing opening of a passage therethrough without intervention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Typically for a multi-zone completion the casing has an array of valves for access to each zone. These valves are typically run in closed so that tubing pressure can be built up to set tools such as external packers. The valves have been single purpose in the past so that for treatment a sliding sleeve valve is shifted to open an unobstructed port through which treatment of the formation can take place. One such treatment is fracturing but others such as acidizing or stimulation can also take place through the unobstructed port. When the treatment is completed the treatment valve is closed and a production valve that has a screened opening is moved to an open position. Sometimes these two valves are integrated into a single sliding sleeve that is shifted with a shifting tool or some other well intervention tool into the treatment and then the production positions. The screened opening helps to retain solids produced from the formation from entering the production string.

The following references present a good background of the current state of the art: U.S. Pat. No. 8,342,245; U.S. Pat. No. 8,127,847; US2008/0296019; US 2009/0071655; US2009/0044944; U.S. Pat. No. 8,291,982 and US2009/0056934. These designs either require well intervention or contemplate sleeve movement to open a single port. In a filing on Sep. 3, 2015, a multi-sleeve design was described in U.S. Ser. No. 14/844,897. This design is shown in FIG. 1. A housing 10 has a frac sleeve 12 that selectively uncovers ports 14 for fracturing after a ball 16 is dropped on a seat 18 to shift sleeve 12 to the position shown. Frac fluid with proppants is then delivered through ports 14 into the formation to enhance subsequent production. Thereafter, another ball 20 is landed on seat 22 to shift sleeve 24 to cover ports 14 and at the same time expose ports 26 for subsequent production or injection of clear fluids.

In situations where the treatment is to be with fluids without solids content the FIG. 1 design is simplified so that in a given increment of a zone to be treated a sleeve can be shifted without intervention to open a set of ports whose size and number are configured to meet local well conditions. The shifted position can be releasably maintained to hold the ports open. The movement preferably occurs with a seated ball that is part of the sleeve assembly. The ball can disintegrate or be blown through the seat as a result of sleeve shifting or with exposure to heat or fluids already in the borehole or added to the borehole. A shifting tool can later be used to return the sleeve to the position where the ports are again covered. These and other aspects of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from a review of the description of the preferred embodiment and the associated drawing while appreciating that the full scope of the invention is to be determined from the appended claims.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A ported sub integrates a seat for an object to land on to allow pressure buildup. A sleeve shifts with the ball and the seat to open ports that are screened. The openings feature hardened inserts to control wear from high velocity fluid. The interval is treated through such openings with treatment fluid that is relatively free of solids. The formation is produced through the same screened inserts that were used for treating. The sleeve can be releasably retained in the ports open position and can optionally be closed with well intervention such as with a shifting tool. The object can pass through the seat after sleeve shifting by disintegration or by using a segmented seat that opens enough to allow the object to pass. An array can be spaced throughout the zone for treating or fracturing and the sleeves shifted bottom up using different or same sized balls.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a section view of a two sleeve ported sub for fracturing with proppant and then treating;

FIG. 2 is a section view of a single sleeve ported sub for opening treatment ports with screened inserts into a formation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 2, a housing 30 has a passage 32 therethrough. A sleeve 34 initially covers ports 36 and is pinned to housing 30 with one or more breakable members or shear pins 38. A ball 40 is dropped or pumped to seat 42 so that pressure can build to break the shear pin(s) 38 to allow a snap ring or other detent 44 to align with groove 46 to releasably hold the sleeve 34 in the shifted position with ports 36 open. A profile 48 is located adjacent an upper end of the sleeve 34 to allow a shifting tool that is not shown to grab the sleeve 34 when in its shifted position and return the sleeve 34 to the FIG. 2 initial position where the ports 36 are closed. This may need to be done if some parts of a zone are to either be treated or produced at a later time. Those skilled in the art will realize that in a zone to be fractured or treated there will be an array of devices as shown in FIG. 2 that can be sequentially operated. Preferably the order of operation will be bottom up using balls 40 of progressively increasing diameter. Alternatively the balls 40 can all be the same size if movement of sleeve 34 undermines seat 42 which can be made of segments so that the segments can move radially outwardly to let the ball 40 pass. Alternatively each of the balls can be configured to disintegrate with exposure to existing well fluids, added fluids or well thermal conditions. The balls can be made of a controlled electrolytic material (CEM) that can disintegrate under one of the above-mentioned conditions in the borehole. While a bottom up order of shifting sleeves 34 in the array of modules shown in FIG. 2 in a zone of interest other orders are contemplated.

At each module, one of which is shown in FIG. 2, the number, size and locations of the openings 36 can be different or the same depending on the adjacent borehole or formation conditions. The openings 36 preferably feature hardened or carbide inserts to protect the openings against the erosive force of high velocity fluids. The inserts also feature a screen so that subsequent to the treatment or fracturing therethrough, the production flow that ensues can be screened. In essence the array of openings 36 functions equivalently to a screen. The number and size of the openings 36 in each of the housings 30 in an interval can be different for the purpose of balancing production flow from the formation. Because the openings 36 are screened the fluid pumped through them is necessarily free of suspended solids that would otherwise clog the screens in the openings 36. The configuration of FIG. 2 can eliminate the frac sleeve 12 of FIG. 1 because the use of treatment or frac fluid that has substantially no solids eliminates the need for large unscreened ports 14 typically used for frac fluid laden with proppants.

The seats 42 can also be made of a disintegrating material so that the drift diameter of the sleeve 34 is regained after shifting to allow for passage of tools therethrough for other treatment or drilling operations further downhole. If none of the sleeves 34 need to be closed after they are shifted then the process of opening all the ports 36 can be accomplished without intervention of well tools in the borehole.

The above description is illustrative of the preferred embodiment and many modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention whose scope is to be determined from the literal and equivalent scope of the claims below: 

I claim:
 1. A treatment assembly for borehole access to a surrounding formation, comprising: at least one module comprising a housing having a passage therethrough and a movable sleeve to selectively open at least one wall opening without borehole intervention; said wall opening further comprising a screen.
 2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein: said sleeve comprising a seat in said passage to accept an object thereon for selectively obstructing said passage for pressure buildup to shift said sleeve to selectively uncover said port.
 3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein: said object disintegrates to reopen said passage after said sleeve is shifted.
 4. The assembly of claim 2, wherein: said seat enlarges upon shifting said sleeve to allow said object to pass through said seat to reopen said passage.
 5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein: said sleeve is releasably secured after moving.
 6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein: said opening further comprises a screen.
 7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein: said opening comprises an hardened or carbide insert to resist erosion from flow therethrough.
 8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein: said at least one module comprises a plurality of modules disposed in an interval of the formation wherein said at least one opening in each said module comprises a plurality of openings wherein said plurality of openings in said modules are the same or different in size or in number.
 9. The assembly of claim 8, wherein: said openings a screened for production from the formation after treatment therethrough into the formation.
 10. The assembly of claim 8, wherein: said modules balance flow from the formation passing through said openings in said modules.
 11. The assembly of claim 5, wherein: said sleeve comprises a snap ring that enters a groove in said housing when moved to open said opening; said sleeve further comprising a profile for engagement of a shifting tool to return said sleeve to a position with said port closed after said snap ring enters said groove.
 12. A treatment method for a producing zone accessible through a borehole, comprising; providing a plurality of modules in a tubular string adjacent the producing zone; applying pressure in said string for sequentially moving a sleeve in said plurality of modules to open wall ports in said modules without borehole intervention; sequentially pumping treatment fluid into said producing zone through said wall ports after each said sleeve is moved.
 13. The method of claim 12, comprising: providing a screen in said wall ports.
 14. The method of claim 12, comprising: balancing production flow from the producing zone through said wall ports.
 15. The method of claim 12, comprising: releasably retaining said sleeves away from said wall ports after initial movement away from said wall ports.
 16. The method of claim 15, comprising: moving at least one said sleeve back to close said wall ports in at least one module with a shifting tool.
 17. The method of claim 12, comprising: landing an object on a seat associated with said plurality of sleeves to close a passage therethrough; applying pressure to said object on said seat to move said sleeve to open said wall ports.
 18. The method of claim 17, comprising: disintegrating the object or passing the object through said seat after movement of said sleeve to open said wall ports.
 19. The method of claim 12, comprising: treating the producing zone and subsequently producing the producing zone through the same wall ports.
 20. The method of claim 19, comprising: constructing said wall ports with hardened or carbide inserts with a screen in a flowpath therethrough. 